Fotbal Club Olimpia MCMXXI Satu Mare, commonly known as Olimpia Satu Mare, Olimpia MCMXXI or simply Olimpia, is a Romanian professional footballclub from Satu Mare, Satu Mare County. Founded on 5 May 1921 and re-founded in 2010 and 2018, Olimpia played seven seasons in the Romanian top flight between 1937 and 1999 and reached the Romanian Cup final in 1978.[1]
Olimpia Satu Mare was founded in 1921, competing at first in the Oradea district championships, and among the first players registered at that time were Mihalca, Gh. Șuta, D. Pop, Gross, Nyul, Frank, Rațiu, Sabău, Winkler, Șoranu, Hotyar, and Kokenessi. Later evolving in the district championships of Maramureș and Satu Mare, Olimpia won the title four times.[1][2]
In the 1925–26 season, Olimpia reached the preliminary round of the national championship, losing 3–4 to Stăruința Oradea. In the following two seasons, Olimpia was again eliminated by the same team: 0–1 in 1926–27 and 0–1 in 1927–28. In the 1931–32 season, the club reached the first round of the Northern League but lost, after two matches, to Crișana Oradea.
Olimpia participated in the inaugural season of Divizia B and finished 2nd in Series III the following year. After finishing 4th in the West Series of the 1936–37 season, the team was promoted to Divizia A due to the expansion of the top division, which allowed the top four teams from each second-division series to move up.[3]
Unfortunately, Olimpia finished last in Group I of the 1937–38 Divizia A season and was relegated. Back in the second division, the team placed 6th in the North-West Series in 1938–39 and 8th in Series III in 1939–40.[3]
Following the Second Vienna Award of 30 August 1940, which ceded Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary, Olimpia was integrated into the Hungarian football league system. The club returned to Romanian football only after World War II, competing in the 1946–47 Divizia C season.
After the dissolution of Divizia C, Olimpia merged with Sanitas Satu Mare, which had finished 1st and was promoted to Divizia B. The merged club was renamed CFR Satu Mare and played in Series IV of the 1947–48 Divizia B season, finishing 6th. The following season, the team ranked 8th in Series II.[3]
In 1950, the club was renamed Locomotiva Satu Mare, finishing 10th in Series II. In 1951, it ranked 6th, and in 1952 it was renamed Progresul Satu Mare, finishing 12th in Series II. Results over the next seasons were mixed, with the team placing 4th in 1953, 10th in 1954, 8th in 1955, and finally 12th in 1956, which led to relegation.[3]
Following relegation, the Yellow and Blues were renamed Someșul Satu Mare, after the river that flows through the city. The club competed in Series IV of the 1957–58 Divizia C season, finishing 11th, then 7th in Series V the following year. However, with the dissolution of Divizia C once again, the team was relegated to the regional championship.[4]
After being renamed Voința Satu Mare in 1959, they finished 3rd in Series I of the 1959–60Baia Mare Regional Championship and won the 1960–61 season of the renamed Maramureș Regional Championship, although they finished last in Series III of the promotion play-off held at Sinaia. In 1961, the second-division side Dinamo Săsar was moved to Satu Mare, merged with Voința Satu Mare, and renamed ASMD (Asociația Sportivă Muncitorească Dinamovistă, literally 'Workers’ Dinamo Sports Association') Satu Mare, competed in Series III of Divizia B, ranking 12th in 1961–62 and 10th in 1962–63.[3][2]
After the second division was contracted to two series, the team continued in Series II, finishing 9th in the 1963–64 season. In 1964, it was renamed Sătmăreana Satu Mare but was relegated the following year after placing 13th in the 1964–65 campaign.[3]
In Divizia C, Sătmăreana competed in the North Series, finishing 9th in 1965–66 and 4th in 1966–67. In 1967, the club was taken over by the stove manufacturing enterprise „1 Septembrie” and renamed Metalul Satu Mare, ending the 1967–68 season in 10th place under coach Gheorghe Ioviță Iovicin, with Alexandru Pop taking charge in February 1968.[4][5]
Former logo, used until 2024.
In 1968, Metalul merged with Unio Satu Mare, the team of Întreprinderea de Utilaj Minier (lit.'Mining Equipment Enterprise'), which would later be re-established in the county championship, to form Olimpia Satu Mare. Olimpia won Series VII of the 1968–69 season and finished 1st in Group II of the promotion play-off held in Cluj, earning promotion to Divizia B. The squad coached by Alexandru Pop included Șt. Báthori, Feher, Less, Jula, I. Popa, Knoblau, Bocșa, Gero, Both, I. Pop, Bokor, Borota, Kincses, Filip, I. Báthori, and Șamu.[6][7][8]
In the second division, Olimpia competed in Series II, finishing 6th in both the 1969–70 and 1970–71 seasons under coach Alexandru Pop. From 1971, the team was taken over by Gheorghe Staicu, who led Olimpia to 9th place in 1971–72, and 3rd in 1972–73. At the end of the 1973–74 season, Olimpia returned to Divizia A after a thirty-seven-year absence, having won Series III. The squad, led by Staicu and his assistant Vasile Savaniu, with Ștefan Onisie serving briefly as a technical adviser, included Șt. Báthori, Filip, Bigan, Knoblau, Bocșa, Naom, Keizer, Libra, Borota, I. Báthori, Helvei, Both, and Dumitriu.[3][9][10]
Olimpia spent two consecutive campaigns in the top flight. In the 1974–75 season, the team began under Gheorghe Staicu, who guided it to the Round of 32 of the Cupa României, where it lost 0–1 to Progresul Brăila, before he was replaced in March 1975 by Gheorghe Bay, who led the side to a 9th-place finish.[11] Ahead of the 1975–76 season, Traian Ionescu was appointed head coach with Gheorghe Ola as his assistant, but a medical indisposition prevented Ionescu from continuing, and Ola took charge from November 1975 until the end of the campaign, leading the team to a 16th-place finish and relegation to the second division, while its Cup run again ended in the Round of 32 after a 1–4 defeat against Steaua București. The lineup for that match comprised Șt. Báthori – Bereczki, Al. Matei (69' Filip), S. Popescu, Bocșa – V. Mureșan, Knoblau, Keizer (46' I. Báthori) – Helvei, Iancu, N. Popa.[12][13][14]
Despite the setback, Olimpia managed to bounce back the following season by winning Series III and securing promotion. The team also reached the Round of 32 of the Romanian Cup, losing 0–1 to ICIM Brașov. The squad, led by Gheorghe Staicu and his assistant Ștefan Czako, included Pustai, Șt. Báthori, Ghencean, V. Mureșan, S. Popescu, Keizer, Al. Matei, Smarandache, Bocșa, Both, Bereczki, Filip, Ress, Chevari, Helvei, N. Popa, Borota, N. Marcu, and Goia.[1][15]
This was followed by a 10th-place finish in the 1978–79 season and a surprising 0–5 defeat in the Round of 32 of the Cupa României to Politehnica Iași. The lineup fielded by Staicu comprised Haralambie (35' Feher) – Mureșan, Smarandache, Al. Matei, Pop – Keizer, Sabou (57' N. Popa), I. Báthori – Helvei, Pataki, N. Marcu.[16][17]
The poor results at the start of the 1979–80 season, with just three points and no wins after ten rounds, led to the replacement of Staicu with his assistant Ștefan Czako, while Gheorghe Ene joined the technical staff as assistant coach during the winter break. Czako led Olimpia in the Cupa României to a rematch of the 1978 final with Universitatea Craiova, losing 0–1 after extra time on neutral ground at Timișoara with a lineup composed of Pustai – Pinter, N. Marcu, Al. Matei, I. Báthori – Sabou (33' Ghencean, 88' Helvei), Pop, Balogh – Hațeganu, Mureșan, Demarcek. However, the Yellow and Blues were relegated at the end of the campaign, finishing in 17th place.[18][19][20]
In Divizia B, Olimpia competed in Series III and experienced a fluctuating path throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The 1980–81 season began with Gheorghe Ene as head coach, but after thirteen rounds he became assistant following the appointment of Emerich Jenei as the new head coach, under whose leadership the team finished as runners-up.[21][22]
Olimpia continued for two seasons with Vasile Savaniu as head coach, assisted by Iosif Kalmar, achieving 4th place in 1981–82, followed by 8th in 1982–83. With former player Gavril Both as head coach, the team placed 6th in 1983–84. In the 1984–85 season, Viorel Mureșan replaced Gavril Both at the winter break, leading the team until the end of the campaign, finishing 7th.[23] The subsequent campaigns saw Olimpia finish 6th in 1985–86, with Ioan Naom as head coach and Viorel Mureșan as his assistant, [24] and 11th in 1986–87, a season that began under Iosif Kalmar as head coach before he was replaced by Iosif Vigu in April 1987, with Nicolae Marcu serving as assistant.[25][3]
In 1987, Olimpia merged once again with Unio Satu Mare, a club that had achieved promotion from the county championship to the second division within four years, and was renamed Olimpia IUM Satu Mare, managed by Iosif Vigu and assisted by Iosif Kalmar. Under their leadership, Olimpia entered a period of relative stability in the second division. In the 1987–88 season, the Yellow and Blues finished 6th, then recorded an impressive 3rd place in 1988–89, one of the club’s strongest results of the decade. The form dipped in 1989–90, when Olimpia ended the season in 12th place, but a recovery followed in 1990–92 with another solid 3rd-place finish. Vigu’s tenure concluded after the 1991–92 season, in which Olimpia ranked 9th. The following campaign saw a sharp downturn, with the team finishing 18th in Series III after a four-point deduction and being relegated to the third division.[26][3]
Two years later, Olimpia returns to Divizia B and in 1998 it promoted to Divizia A, but it immediately relegated. The team was then a regular Divizia B presence, with no notable performances, the maximum reached was a 4th place at the end of the 2004–05 season. In 2006, the team relegated to Liga III where it had disastrous results, saving from relegation in the last moment for the next two seasons, then the club was relegated to Liga IV due to financial problems and reached the brink of collapse even suffering a major reorganization in 2010.
In the 2010–11 campaign, Olimpia won Liga IV – Satu Mare County and the promotion play-off match against Meseșul Treznea, Sălaj County champions, with an impressive 6–0 at the Iuliu Bodola Stadium in Oradea. The squad, led by Tiberiu Csik and his assistants Ion Dragomir and Paul Levente, consisted of Șuta – Moș, F. Mureșan, Heil, Vădan – M. Mureșan, M. Pop, Micaș, Gavrilescu, Marinaș, and Homorozan, while Lung, Shannat, Câmpan, and Feier also appeared during the match.[27]
At the end of 2011–12 Liga III season, Olimpia finished only second, at 3 points distance from Corona Brașov, but promoted the next season with an advance of 5 points over FC Hunedoara. Then Olimpia becoming again a regular Liga II team, the best performance being 5th place, obtained at the end of 2014–15 season.
In the winter break of the 2017–18 season, Olimpia withdrew from Liga II due to financial problems, also having 70 points deducted. In the same time, the local authorities founded CSM Satu Mare, a new entity that pretend to be the successor of FC Olimpia, but has no legal connections with the old club.[28][29]
After this second dissolution, supporters, organized as Voluntarii Olimpiști (Olimpia's Volunteers), dissatisfied with the way the club has been administered in recent years, have created their own club, Olimpia MCMXXI, a fan-owned phoenix club. This club also pretend to be the successor of FC Olimpia, but again, were not legal connection between the old entity and this new one.[30]
In 2021, Olimpia MCMXXI won "FC Olimpia Satu Mare" brand and became the official successor of the old entity.[31] However in 2023, and on appeal in 2024 the registration of the brand was rejected by the courts.[32][33]
Olimpia Satu Mare used to play its home matches on Daniel Prodan Stadium in Satu Mare, which has a capacity of 18,000. After its second re-foundation, in 2018, due to the conflict between supporters and local authorities, Olimpia started to play its home matches on Someșul Stadium in Satu Mare, with a capacity of 6,000 people. On Daniel Prodan Stadium started to play CSM Satu Mare, the club financially supported by the local authorities.
Supporters
Olimpia has many supporters in Satu Mare and especially in Satu Mare County. The ultras groups of Olimpia Satu Mare are known as Commando Oli and Sezione Ostile. From 2015 the two groups merged and formed Peluza Olimpia 1921. Olimpia supporters consider Bihor Oradea supporters to be their allies, fans of both teams had the opportunity to support the other during matches.[35]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
1234"Olimpia Satu Mare a împlinit un veac"[Olimpia Satu Mare has turned a century old] (in Romanian). welovesport.ro. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
↑"Pregătirile echipelor din Satu Mare"[Teams preparations from Satu Mare](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 1 February 1968. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Se reînfiripă tradiția?..."[Is the tradition reviving?...] (in Romanian). Fotbal. 16 July 1969. p.8. Retrieved 4 December 2025– via adt.arcanum.com.
↑"Olimpia Satu Mare – Promovarea cea mai convingătoare!"[Olimpia Satu Mare – The most convincing promotion!](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 16 July 1974. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Formațiile Divizionare A sunt gata de start"[Division A teams are ready to start](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 16 August 1975. p.4. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Etapa 16-imilor în „Cupa României""[Round of 32 in the "Romanian Cup"](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 1 March 1976. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 4 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"FC Olimpia revine cu un pas de maturitate"[FC Olimpia returns with a step of maturity](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 9 July 1977. p.7. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Galop de sănătate"[Health gallop](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 1 March 1979. p.5. Retrieved 7 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Olimpia a mai absolvit un an..."[Olimpia graduated another year...](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 11 August 1979. p.5. Retrieved 7 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Olimpia Satu Mare la răscruce de drumuri..."[Olimpia Satu Mare at a crossroads...](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 19 October 1979. p.3. Retrieved 7 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Loturile echipelor din Seriile a II-a și a III-a"[The teams' squads from Series II and III](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 10 June 1980. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Un nou antrenor la Olimpia Satu Mare"[Olimpia Satu Mare: A new technical management](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 9 February 1985. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Măsuri organizatorice la Olimpia Satu Mare"[Organizational measures at Olimpia Satu Mare](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 11 July 1985. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Olimpia Satu Mare: O nouă conducere tehnică"[Olimpia Satu Mare: A new technical management](PDF) (in Romanian). Sportul. 6 August 1986. p.3. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025– via bibliotecadeva.ro.
↑"Olimpia a promovat în Liga a III-a!!!"[Olimpia Satu Mare has turned a century old] (in Romanian). satumareonline.ro. 15 June 2011. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
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